At Xenium, we are constantly looking for ways to grow as people, and so we often push ourselves to learn new things and step out of our comfort zones. In living up to the Xenium Promise to develop personally and professionally, the Xenium Book Club will often choose books that are a little outside the genre of traditional business books. In the books we read, we often find new ideas that inspire an interesting discussion that provides insights we often try to apply to our personal and professional lives. Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (And World Peace) was the latest book to accomplish just that: an enriching read and an engaging discussion with those that participated.
I first ran across this book after Suzi Alligood passed along an article featuring the “Search Inside Yourself” course. The article summarized how a little company called Google has an engineer (go figure!) who developed a course called “Search Inside Yourself” for Google employees. According to the article, the seven-week course quickly fills up with participants each time it is offered and maintains a large waiting list of Google employees due to its popularity. The way the article described why the course was so popular led the Xenium Book Club to pick up the book based on the course material.
What is Search Inside Yourself?
The author, Chade-Meng Tan, created a book that he hopes will be revolutionary in changing the way we think about mindfulness and how it relates to business. Business professionals, especially HR professionals, understand emotional intelligence, how it plays such a key role in dealing with others in our life, and how aware we are of our emotions. Meng dives even deeper. He suggests that mindfulness-based exercises can help develop emotional intelligence and lead to a happier life both personally and professionally. I have read several emotional intelligence books and I do not recall ever reading about meditation and relaxation techniques as a way to enhance emotional intelligence. In other words, this book is a trailblazer from that standpoint.
“Emotional intelligence enables three important skill sets: stellar work performance, outstanding leadership, and the ability to create the conditions for happiness.” – Chade-Meng Tan
What’s in the Book?
At 242 pages, this book covers a lot of topics—from the science of happiness to meditation practices to how we can relate these practices and skills to the business world itself.
The story at the beginning, and again later in the book, about the ‘happiest man in the world’ was a really interesting way to set up the entire premise of the book. The reader comes to find that the ‘happiest man,’ measured by scientists, is a Tibetan Buddhist monk. This led scientists and other academics to understand the way in which Western and Tibetan cultures teach and practice mediation; and ultimately it gave Meng a reason to develop the course and write the book in the first place.
A few key areas I found particularly useful were the meditation exercises, such as Mindfulness Meditation, Mindful Listening and the Body Scan, and the section on developing empathy.
How this Book Applies to the Business World
In broad terms, people are stressed out. Their personal vs. work lives are out of balance and many people have a difficult time connecting with others at a deep level. Meng developed the “Search Inside Yourself” course—and 
ultimately wrote this book—to help people calm their mind, find work-life balance, and connect with others, whether in their personal life or work life. Meng boldly brings meditation and other relaxation techniques to the traditional business world, when formerly it has been primarily seen as a spiritual practice.
If the course at Google is regularly full, then it’s very likely others in the business world may need this material. Maybe they are onto something.
“When the mind is calm and clear at the same time, happiness spontaneously arises.”
– Chade-Meng Tan
Resources:
- “How Mindfulness May Give You the Competitive Edge” – Xenium HR
- “K., Google, Take a Deep Breath” – New York Times
- Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace) – Amazon.com
- “How Mindfulness Can Jumpstart Our Exercise Routines” – NY Times